S Korea detains 23 Chinese fishermen in coast guard spat

TREACHEROUS WATERS:：Coast guard officers said the fishermen attacked them as their boats were seized for illegal fishing, resulting in one death

AFP, SEOUL

Thu, Oct 18, 2012 - Page 1

South Korea’s coast guard yesterday said it was holding 23 Chinese fishermen in custody for questioning after a violent clash in the Yellow Sea that left one Chinese crew member dead.

The coast guard seized two 93-tonne vessels on Tuesday and towed them to the southwestern port of Mokpo after an operation against about 30 Chinese trawlers it said were fishing illegally in South Korean waters.

“A Chinese consul general interviewed the fishermen one by one after they arrived here this morning,” a coast guard spokesman said from Mokpo.

A 44-year-old fisherman was fatally wounded by a rubber bullet after coast guard commandos boarded one of the vessels and were confronted by crew members armed with knives, axes, saws and other weapons.

He was declared dead after being rushed by helicopter to a hospital in Mokpo.

Coast guard officers said they had fired five rubber bullets, one of which hit the chest of the man who was wielding a saw.